May 28, 2012

Delhi hosts 1st Train the Trainer event of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development program‏me

NBA PRESS RELEASE: The NBA hosted the first Train the Trainer programme at Delhi Public School (RK Puram) from Sunday, May 27th, with some of the top coaches from Delhi being part of the training session. This was the first event of the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development programme which will be held across five Indian cities this year.

The two day programme featured on-court clinics and classroom sessions aiming to provide the coaches with additional training skills for the development of players from a skills and fitness perspective. NBA India's officials Troy Justice and Eban Hyams helped lead the sessions.

The sessions also featured the NBA’s first-ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA India-focused training video. The 75 minute DVD, shot in India with local players, including videos illustrating fundamental skill development, advanced offensive moves, and fitness training. Each coach attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ session received a copy of the DVD.

The attending coaches were also informed of the dedicated Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA microsite on NBA.com/India that will provide all coaches and physical education instructors access to videos, photos and other materials to reinforce proper training technique.

The Train the Trainer programme will also be held in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh.

May 27, 2012

Conference Finals Preview: What's Your Legacy?

The chapters of NBA history will have a special place for the winner of 2012 title. For the four remaining teams, the next few weeks could completely twist, enhance, or destroy their stories in the history books. And in the end, who will ultimately be remembered the most?

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May 24, 2012

63rd Junior National Basketball Championship tips off in Puducherry

Next is now! There has been a lot of promise of the upcoming basketball talent of India, and of the players who will help the sport ascend to a higher level in the future. There is no better time to catch that talent than the 2012 Junior (under 18) Nationals: On May 23, the 63rd Junior National Basketball Championship for Boys & Girls tipped off at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the southern province of Puducherry.

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May 21, 2012

NBA to launch 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA programme in India

NBA Press Release: The National Basketball Association (NBA), in collaboration with HP and Basketball Federation of India (BFI), announced that it will launch the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA basketball development programme in India on May 26, 2012. The programme will reach approximately 10,000 students and 800 coaches in five cities and marks an important step in incorporating basketball into the regular sports routine of Indian youth at the school level.

The program will visit Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh, and will culminate with the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge National Finals in Delhi on July 14-15. This marks the NBA’s first program in Chandigarh, showcasing the league’s commitment to growing basketball across the country. The NBA has now implemented sustainable grassroots programs in seven cities in India.

BFI and HP will support the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program and enhance the experience for Indian youth throughout the event.

The 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program will tip-off with a two-day ‘Train the Trainer’ programme in each city led by NBA coaches. ‘Train the Trainer’ will feature on-court clinics and classroom sessions for approximately 150 coaches in each of the five cities.

These sessions will feature the NBA’s first-ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA India-focused training video. The 75 minute DVD, shot in India with local players, includes videos illustrating fundamental skill development, advanced offensive moves, and fitness training. Each coach attending the ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions will receive a copy of the DVD.

A dedicated Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA microsite on NBA.com/India will provide all coaches and physical education instructors access to videos, photos and other materials to reinforce proper training technique.

At the center of this programme is the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge, which begins with a City Championship tournament in all five cities. Approximately 2,000 participants between the ages of 10-12 in each city will compete in a series of timed skills tests measuring their abilities in key fundamentals such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. The top five boys and top five girls will qualify to represent their city at the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Finals. The boy and girl that complete the skills tests with the best times at the National Finals will be crowned Jr. NBA/Jr. NBA Skills Challenge National Champions and will win a trip to NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston, Texas!

“The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program demonstrates the NBA’s commitment to growing basketball at a grassroots level and will reach more children in its second year as one of the league’s most inclusive programs in India,” said Akash Jain, Sr. Director, Development, NBA India. “Using the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program to educate basketball coaches and instructors is crucial to ensuring quality fundamental skill development in young basketball players across India.”

The first Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program staged in India was the 2008 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Hoops School in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. In 2011, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge was held in India for the first time and this year marks the league’s most comprehensive school-based youth program to date.

Schedule of Events

Train the Trainers

  • Delhi - May 26-27, Delhi Public School, RK Puram.
  • Chennai - June 2-3, JJ Stadium.
  • Mumbai - June 6-7, St. Dominic Savio SChool.
  • Pune - June 9-10, PYC Gymkhana.
  • Chandigarh - July 3-4, New Public School

City Skills Challenge

  • Mumbai - June 22, St. Dominic Savio School.
  • Pune - June 24, Deccan Gymkhana.
  • Chennai - June 28, JJ Stadium.
  • Chandigarh - July 6, New Public School.
  • Delhi - July 8, IG Stadium.

May 18, 2012

Revenge of the Old School

Will there finally be a mega showdown at the biggest stage – the NBA Finals – between Tim Duncan & Kevin Garnett, two of the greatest players of the last decade? While the rest of the young bigs around the league suffer to keep up with the pressure and strain of the playoffs, it is the surprise resurgence of the old school that may well decide who lifts the trophy this season.

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May 15, 2012

Underdogs Olympiacos win Euroleague Basketball Tournament in thrilling fashion

Stripped off their budget after a major financial crisis in Greece, Olympiacos surprised everyone – including their own fans, perhaps – to go on and win Europe’s biggest basketball trophy in dramatic fashion at the Sinah Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday, May 13th. Georgios Printezis netted a one-handed shot from the side of the rim in the final second to give his side a 62-61 win in the final over the overwhelming favourites from Russia, CSKA Moscow.

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May 14, 2012

NBA Playoffs 2nd Round Preview: Wants vs. Needs

It's the 2nd round of the playoffs: All of the remaining teams want to win the title, but who needs it the most? Let’s preview the four matchups in the second round: while pure talent and team chemistry will continue to be the biggest reasons for winning or losing games, it will be the need for a championship – and not just the want for one – that will carry a squad over the hump.

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May 13, 2012

West Bengal Boys & Chhattisgarh Girls lift 39th Sub-Jr National Basketball Championship in Goa

By the time the whistle rang for the final time on Saturday evening at Salcete, Goa, the assembled basketball fans had witnessed two opposite spectrums of a sports-lovers experience. On one hand was the Chhattisgarh Girls team, steamrolling through competition as the perennial favourites, and not letting down their fans by winning an incredible 11th consecutive title. On the other hand were the West Bengal Boys, a team from a state who has been underwhelming in Indian basketball for far too long, who completed their Cinderella Story with a fairytale run through the tournament and to lift the trophy as underdogs.

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May 8, 2012

49 teams descend to Goa for 39th Sub-Junior Basketball Nationals

They may be young, but years from now, it will be these same young faces who will dominate basketball in India.

The sunny beaches of Goa welcomed 49 under-14 basketball squads from 26 states across India for the 39th National Basketball Championship for Sub-Junior Boys & Girls. The 'Sub-Junior Nationals' are being held from May 6-12, 2012 at the Agnel Charities in Agnel Ashram at Verna, Salcete. The tournament is being organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Goa Basketball Association.

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May 7, 2012

India’s All Star Weekend: Basketball stars shine on courts dedicated to Harish Sharma

If you were an outsider to India’s hoop universe looking for a weekend crash course to everything in Indian Basketball, then the last couple of days in Mumbai were your chance: Over three dozen of the most talented and famous Men and Women Indian basketball players descended to the Mastan YMCA basketball courts in Nagpada for the 3rd Indian Basketball All Star Showcase, held from May 3rd-5th.

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May 3, 2012

Indian Basketball's All Star Showcase to tip off in Mumbai

The third Indian Basketball All Star showcase – a weekend highlighting the talents of India’s finest Men and Women basketball players – is set to be held at the Mastan YMCA Courts in Mumbai from May 3-5, 2012. Like previous years, the event will feature well-known basketball players from all across the country taking part in All Star Games, shooting, and dunking competitions. Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA) will host this year’s events dedicated to the memory of the late CEO of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) Harish Sharma.

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May 1, 2012

Pasha Bains: The DRIVE for Success

Not many people in India – basketball fans or not – would have heard the name ‘Pasha Bains’. But to an entire plethora of basketball-loving Indian fans in North America, Bains may be the finest Indian-origin basketball player ever. While desi hoop fans wait for the day for the first Indian player – born in India or abroad – to play in the NBA, Bains nearly became the first one to do it almost a decade ago.

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